


Cafe Man

by mori_mocha



Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Mild Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 21:41:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17670620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mori_mocha/pseuds/mori_mocha
Summary: A veterinarian and a barista get together in the sappiest love story of the month.





	Cafe Man

**Author's Note:**

> this story is totally self indulgent and a mess. i wrote it months ago but decided now would be a good time to post it.

Kantera was a healthy young man of twenty-seven, and was living out his happy little dream. He had moved out of the countryside where he was raised into a small town that was a bit farther out from his old home and started up his dream business: a local cafe called the 'Sleepy Draken'. A strange name, but it got attention and soon became the hotspot of the town's alternative population.

Business owners from the street his cafe was on had come to greet him when he first set up shop six years ago. A pharmacist named Mireille, a chef's miracle daughter named Gardenia, a librarian named Walter and his three helpers Yue, Raymond, and Fairia, and a pair of religious siblings from the church at the end of the lane, Dogma and Cody. But the person who he automatically connected with was an animal vet by the name of Tabasa. Nobody could tell what it was, but anyone near the two during that first discussion will tell you that some sort of fate had brought them together. They talked as if they had known each other for years, despite having just met. Kantera had made a note to himself to talk with Tabasa more, as if they hadn't done enough of it already.

Now, six years later, Kantera was no longer working by himself, and his business was seemingly at its peak, or getting there. His part-time worker, Russell, was a little rough around the edges, but he was a good kid, so Kantera liked having him around. He listened when the older man rambled about his hometown and his grandfather, whose death was a big part of his move, and was the best at making those cute little designs in people's drinks.

At this moment, Russell was relaxing in a booth, as it was a slow Thursday morning. It may have only been ten a.m., but usually the cafe had more than two people in it, besides its employees, at this time. Russell was taking advantage of the downtime and catching up on his schoolwork. Kantera was just wiping down the front counter, where all the drinks were made, when the chime above the door sounded out.

The elder male looked up just in time to see a very disheveled Tabasa walk in and stumble up to the counter, sitting at one of the stools. Almost as soon as he sat down, he crossed his arms and dropped his head into them with a low groan. Kantera shook his head and pulled a clean cup from a shelf beneath the counter.

"I'm guessing you would want your usual double shot, but you seem more exhausted than normal," Kantera said, sighing. Tabasa merely groaned again, holding up four fingers. "Four shots, as you wish." Silence passed between the two as Kantera busied himself with making his friend's drink.

Tabasa cared a lot for his work, which resulted in a lot of late nights and drowsy mornings, some of which so bad he would have to take a day off to sleep, closing his vet shop as to not be disturbed. What made it worse was that his apartment was nearly across town, so he often slept in his office. On occasion, he would stay at Kantera's apartment on the couch, as it was just above his cafe and was fairly cozy.

A soft _clink_ sounded next to the tired male's ear, and he lifted his head to set eyes on the mug set before him. "Four shot coffee, with enough caffeine to give you the energy to at least lift your head." Tabasa gave the older male a lazy grin and grumbled his thanks, reaching into his green coat pocket for his wallet, but a dissatisfied noise from Kantera stopped him. "It's on the house, Tabasa. You need this."

"That's not..." Tabasa started, trailing off as he lifted his mug. What was he saying again? Oh yeah. " 's not a good way to... to run a business..."

Kantera placed his hands in the pockets of his apron. "I do not believe you are in the position to lecture me on business etiquette, Mister I-neglect-my-sleep-patterns-to-work."

Russell let out a playful snort from his booth. "Why don't you two just get married yet? You already argue like an old couple, you old men."

Kantera sputtered as his face went red, per usual. Russell would always tease the two about how close they were and how they treated each other, causing Kantera to blush heavily and Tabasa to laugh uncomfortably. The truth was that the two shared mutual affection for each other, but both were afraid of spoiling the friendship they had built up, so neither spoke on their feelings.

The sound of shattering glass pierced Kantera's ears, pulling his attention from Russell to Tabasa, who had dropped his mug onto the floor. He was staring at the mess with a dull, dazed look in his eyes. With a slurred apology, he moved to get up and clean the mess. A tender hand on his cheek stopped him. Blue eyes trailed up to meet red ones that were filled with so much concern that a blind man would be able to see it. No words even had to be said at that moment, because Kantera's eyes said it all; _"Please don't do anything else, I'm worried sick about you."_

So Tabasa sat back, folding his arms on the counter again as Kantera cleaned up the mess the younger male made. Looking up with a sigh, Kantera glanced hopelessly at his only employee. "Can you watch the shop for me, just for a bit? I'm going to lay Tabasa down upstairs.."

Tabasa didn't even have time to object as the blonde closed his textbook, a few pieces of note-filled notebook paper between the pages. "Sure thing, gramps."

"Thank you, Russell." Kantera bowed his head as he stood, tossing the coffee-soaked rag in his hands into a nearby bin for washing. Then he turned to his friend and pressed his warm hands to warmer cheeks. "You're burning up, Tabasa... Come quickly, you need to rest."

Tabasa offered little to no fight as the elder, and slightly shorter male, leaned him against his body, leading him up the back stairs to the apartment above. After swiftly unlocking the door, Kantera released Tabasa. The vet was on autopilot as soon as that door opened, and he stumbled to the couch before falling face-first onto it, pulling one eyeball shaped pillow closer. The four eyeball pillows were a joke gift from Tabasa four years ago on Halloween, so it made him a bit happy that Kantera kept and used them. Even if they were a bit creepy.

The poor guy didn't even get to express his gratitude to the cafe owner, as he fell asleep almost as soon as he had laid, well, _fallen_ down on the couch, eyes closed in a peaceful dream.

Kantera smiled fondly as he slipped a lap blanket over Tabasa's legs, laughing internally that the coffee from earlier didn't do a thing while simultaneously being extremely concerned about the fact.

[x]

Hours passed. Long, long hours. And finally, as the sun was beginning to set, and stores were closing up for the night, Tabasa woke up. He sat up slowly and stretched his stiff back muscles, arms in the air above him. Looking around until he recognized his surroundings, the younger male slipped off the couch to find Kantera. He found the elder male in his bedroom mere feet away, already fast asleep in bed. Russell usually closed up shop when Kantera had been busy and wanted to turn in early.

Tabasa ran his cool fingers over Kantera's cheek, brushing his dull silver-green hair out of his face. He couldn't help but stare at the other's features: round cheeks, plump limps, permanently pink-tinted cheeks, a serene and sleepy expression on his pretty face. With the dimming sunlight filtering through his bedroom window, Kantera looked like nothing short of heavenly.

Subconsciously, Tabasa found himself holding his breath, and slowly bending down so his face was more even with the elder's. He was so close to... to _kissing him_. Kissing Kantera in his sleep. Wasn't that a bad thing? Wouldn't he get in trouble for it? What if Kantera woke up when he kissed him, like in the fairy tales?

"It would be true love..." The vet whispered to himself with a cheesy grin. That grin faded as he took a deep breath.

To hell with self-control!

He closed his icy blue eyes and leaned in close, brushing his lips against Kantera's, then quickly pulled back to look for a reaction. Nothing. So he did it again, but didn't pull away this time. He gently pressed their lips together, one hand sneakily yet softly pressing against the elder's cheek. Not even a moment later, as he began to pull back, two hands grabbed his jacket and pulled him back. His eyes shot open and he hurried to distance himself, and he found himself gazing into loving red eyes. Kantera opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Because Tabasa woke up, for real this time. He sat up quickly, too quickly, and fell off the couch due to imbalance, letting out a groan as he hit the ground. Seconds later, Kantera was by his side, worry painted onto his perfect features. Tabasa pinched his own inner thigh to ensure he wasn't dreaming, then looked out the window of the living room. Woah, deja vu, it was actually sunset.

The younger's attention turned back to Kantera when he began to speak. "Did you hurt yourself, Tabasa? Was it a nightmare?"

 _In some ways, I guess so._ Tabasa remarked inside his head, but he shook his head to reassure the elder he was fine. "I just... Just woke up too suddenly... Look, can we talk?"

In all honesty, this wasn't the first time he had dreamed of Kantera like this. Actually, it was more like the twenty first. In some dreams, they did more than just kissing. In some dreams, they didn't do anything more than snuggle close and enjoy each other's warmth. And Tabasa knew that he couldn't keep running from his feelings for much longer. Why? Because on top of the dreams, he had also begun to drop subtle, accidental hints that literally everybody but Kantera picked up on, and was forced by a certain blonde to spill the beans.

Little did he know that Kantera was exactly the same way.

With a nod, Kantera sat himself on one end of the three-cushion couch. "Yes, we can talk. What is it you need to say? If it's about sleeping here, I don't mind. Just please try not to overwork yourself so of--"

"That's not it, Kantera," Tabasa interrupted him softly, raising his hand to stop him from talking. He sat down on the other end of the couch, letting out a deep breath. "That's not it at all..."  
Then, Tabasa let loose. He told Kantera a rough idea of the dreams, of the thoughts he had, about Russell throwing coffee beans at him until he told the kid what was up. He told Kantera that he was gay. He told Kantera that he was, specifically, gay for him. And an anxious silence filled apartment, suffocating the two males as they both looked at anything but each other.

It was a lot to take in for Kantera. Tabasa, the big strong vet from down the road, the dork who made too many animal puns, the guy who would likely work himself into an early grave, the perfect man... He liked Kantera. No, he was _completely and totally gay for Kantera_. Quote from the man himself.

Tabasa stood, and spoke as if excusing himself. It was then he noticed his jacket was missing. He was going to ask where it was, but warm hands gripped one of his and tugged, beckoning him to sit down again. So he did.

Kantera kept a tight hold on the other's hand, looking at the calloused surface of his palm, tracing the lines of his hand with a slender finger. He sucked in a breath, nervous. Tabasa leaned forward in anticipation.

Kantera's voice was small as he finally spoke up. "I... I admit I feel the same. A-And I have... experienced everything you have, down to the dreams."

It took a swift moment. A swift moment for Tabasa to put his hands on Kantera's waist. A swift moment for Kantera to hold Tabasa's face in his palms. A swift moment for their lips to connect, short, sweet, and long overdue. When they parted, their foreheads pressed together, and the two merely stared into each other's eyes as they struggled to find words yet again.

Kantera spoke first. "Are we going to fast..?"

It was one more swift moment for Kantera to end up pinned beneath Tabasa, two strong hands still clasping his waist and one of the younger's legs slipped between his. "We've both been waiting for a while. From the sounds of it, we're going way too slow."

The next words out of the elder's mouth were unexpected, and started one hell of a night after they were spoken.

"So... Why not speed things up?"

[x]

The eyes of nearly every customer inside the cafe were on Kantera and Tabasa as the elder slowly made himself and his partner coffee. Tabasa's white nurse-vet shirt was still halfway unbuttoned, showing off the scratches and hickeys now littering his skin from the neck down, even his hands. His hair was a mess, though it looked as if he tried to smooth it down. Kantera wasn't much different; steely blue kimono-style shirt coming off his shoulder, mussled hair, with scratches and dark hickeys everywhere. On top of that, he even had bitemarks on his previously unblemished skin.

Kantera's limp, along with the appearance he and Tabasa shared, showed anyone who could see them what happened the night before. There were even whispers about it circling throughout the quiet buzz of the cafe's music and usual chatter.

Russell walked back to the counter to refill his coffee pot just as Kantera finished the drinks he was preparing, and decided to listen into what the two adults were talking about.

"Tabasa, you were too rough."

"Mm, sorry..."

"Do you have work today?"

"Mhmm..."

"Are you going to go?"

"Mm-mmn, too much... Too much work..."

"Stay in my apartment for today and rest, then."

"Only if you do, too."

Russell chimed in, picking up the now full coffee pot. "Just do it. I'll be fine by myself."

Kantera let out a tired hum before untying his half apron and sloppily folding it, tossing it into the bin to be washed. "Thank you, Russell... You're a big help to this old man."

Tabasa, despite being drowsy and sluggish as all hell, somehow managed to nearly pick up his partner to get him around the counter and towards the stairs, all while Russell let out a cold little laugh.

His dagger like bue eyes pierced through the adults before him as he spoke. "You look anything but old when you're covered in more bruises and bite marks than a prostitute after an orgy."

Some say that you can still hear Kantera's embarrassed screams if you listen close enough. Or some other kinds of screams, but that's after closing time.


End file.
